When to Start Designing Your 2026 Wedding Invitations
- berriesandbloomsst
- Sep 4
- 3 min read
If you’re planning a 2026 wedding, chances are your to-do list is already filling up with big decisions. One of the most exciting (and often overlooked) parts of the process? Your wedding invitations.
Your invitations are the very first glimpse your guests will have of your celebration — setting the tone, sharing your style, and giving a sense of what’s to come. And when it comes to creating luxury stationery with custom details like letterpress printing, foil accents, handmade paper, silk ribbons, or wax seals, timing is everything.
But when should you actually start working on them? The answer: earlier than you think! Starting early ensures you’ll have plenty of space for creativity, revisions, production, and assembly — without the stress of a rushed timeline. Below, we’ve outlined a planning timeline, with a few notes on when to adjust based on your unique wedding details.
9–12 Months Before Your Wedding: Book Your Stationer
If you’re dreaming of a luxurious suite, reach out to your stationer as early as possible. Many designers book their calendars around a year in advance, especially for peak wedding seasons. Securing your spot early means you’ll have the flexibility to explore printing options and collaborate without the pressure of time.
9–10 Months Before: Design Your Save the Dates
Save the dates are your guests’ first official introduction to your wedding. Designing them about 9–10 months out gives your stationer time to create something that ties beautifully into your overall vision. During this time design decisions (like color palette, typography, your monogram design, layout, etc.) will also take shape and set a precedent for what's to come down the road with your invitation design.
5–8 Months Before: Mail Your Save the Dates
For destination weddings or holiday weekends, aim to send them closer to the 8-month mark. For local weddings, ~6 months is usually perfect. These cards give your guests plenty of time to plan travel, book accommodations, and block off their calendars.
5–8 Months Before: Design Your Wedding Invitations
With your wedding day details finalized, it’s time to dive into the main event — your invitations. This is where your suite really comes to life, whether that means layering textures like vellum and silk ribbon, or opting for upgraded printing methods like letterpressing and debossing.
Giving yourself several months for design ensures you’ll have the chance to review proofs at a comfortable pace, request revisions at ease, and perfect every detail with your designer before production begins.
3–4.5 Months Before: Mail Your Wedding Invitations
For most weddings, sending invitations ~12-14 weeks before the wedding date is the sweet spot. Destination weddings, large weddings or weddings that fall on a holiday weekend should be closer to the 3-4 month mark to give guests extra time to plan.
A Note on Adjusting Your Timeline
While the outline above works beautifully for most weddings, we may need to adjust your timeline based on your exact wedding details, especially considering the following:
Holiday weddings: Mail earlier to avoid travel conflicts.
Destination weddings: Guests will need plenty of time to arrange travel and accommodations — aim for the earlier side on both save the dates and invites.
Out-of-state guests: If most of your guest list is traveling, give them additional notice.
Large guest list (250+): More guests mean more time is needed for addressing, assembling, and mailing + coordinating signage plans.
Skipping save the dates: If you choose not to send them, plan to mail your wedding invitations earlier than usual.
The Bottom Line
When in doubt, start earlier than you think you need to! Booking your stationer and beginning the design process well in advance allows you to bring your vision to life with custom details — without stress.
If you’re planning your 2026 wedding, now is the perfect time to start dreaming, planning, and designing your wedding stationery. Your invitations are more than just paper — they’re the opening chapter to your wedding story.